Laughing Target
by Jia-Mai
Summary: After Alex's house is burnt to the ground he is thrust into a new adventure. Who is Lawrence Tchai? Why does he want Alex dead? And what does Laughing Target have to do with it?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One - Into The Fire

Alex could never forget the smell of his house burning. Or the sight. Jack had been cooking chicken. And had fallen asleep. But Alex was sure it wasn't her fault, she would never do this on purpose. All around him the fire crackled, all sirens blared, the firemen shouted. Luckily Alex had completed a fire safety course recently so he was able to safely escape along with some of his precious things, his Nintendo Gameboy Colour, his Sony stereo and several items of clothing.

Jack had not been so lucky. She has suffered major burns. She was in hospital now, Alex had always had a fear of hospitals, they smelt too clean, had ugly fluorescent lights and Death lurked darkly.

Alex spent the night at the night at the police station after giving a statement on the fire. The more Alex thought the more suspicious he became…Jack never cooked chicken, it took too long to cook. And Jack wouldn't fall asleep and leave the oven on she was too careful.

Alex spent the next day with Jack, he brought her grapes and chocolates. Unfortunately she was still unconscious, she didn't her his luck. The devil's luck something he inherited from his father. He bit his nails anxiously. He read the newspaper to Jack and laughed at the story about a sheep whose fur hadn't been cut for six years. He felt instantly sickened with himself, how could he laugh at a time like this? His best friend lay next to him perhaps close to death and here he was giggling about a furry sheep.

"I'll find out who did this Jack!" He whispered, "I know it can't have been an accident."

He squeezed her hand and walked away. He headed back to his house. It was roped off but the structure still stood he couldn't tell if it was safe or not but his instincts urged him in. The kitchen was the worst affected area, the smell of smoke still lingered.

The other rooms were also bad and some furniture had been burnt to cinders. From what he could tell the upstairs had escaped the worst of it. Alex walked up the stairs. There was an almighty crash, Alex's left foot splintered the stairs. Luckily he was prepared and using some special SAS moves he escaped. He ran back to the kitchen, his pulse raced. He took a deep breath, and calmed himself down. He took one last look around. His investigation had brought him nothing. Perhaps it was just an accident?

He idly kicked a shard of glass…Hang on, there was glass _inside _the room? But surely the fire would have sent the glass outside? Alex's mind raced. Someone had thrown something into the house! Perhaps an explosive or a burning rag? Whatever it was there was no trace of it. He now knew it hadn't just been a fire. It has been an attempted murder, Alex would solve this if it was the last thing he did!

He went into the garden and peered at the kitchen window. They must be a clue out here! Something shiny caught his eye in the flowerbeds. He bent down and picked it up. It was a watch and it was running right on time. It had an expensive looking leather strap, the gold hands stretched proudly towards the numbers and the second hand ticked obediently. He turned it over, there was an inscription on the back;

'_Lawrence Tchai_

_Love you always_

_Emma Dale'_

Now Alex had a name. He pocketed the watch and ran to the local library and logged onto the computer and typed the name into Google and hit enter.

Lawrence Tchai, a man running a law firm on the outskirts of London. Now Alex had the name and the address. Who was this mysterious man? And why did he want Alex dead?

'Out of the frying pan' Alex thought 'and into the fire!'

* * *

AN - Please review, more will be coming soon. Some exciting new characters will be coming in Chapter Two. I really hope you all like it! Let me know. :D


	2. Chapter 2

AN- I forget to put a Disclaimer last time but I'm sure you know I didn't create Alex Rider and am not Anthony Horowitz.

* * *

-Chapter Two -

Alex was on a bus heading to Lawrence Tchai's law office. The bus spluttered through traffic slowly. It stopped often as people left and new ones replaced them. He stared out of the window lost in his thoughts. The sky was grey, strips of bleak sunlight had broken through in odd places spotlighting the grimy brickwork of the towering buildings. The streets were packed with people walking with their heads down ignoring everything around them. The bus continued its journey, weaving through the cars like red thread on dull fabric.

Alex was heading towards Harrow, a place North West of London. His eyes were drawn to a brightly coloured billboard for Laughing Target's new children's television show, _Ace Arnie_.

Alex's stop approached. He jumped off the bus with a moody "Thank you" to the driver. He noticed that the bus displayed a vibrant advert for the same TV show. He clutched his map and looked for Lombard Street. A helpful man in a green jacket pointed him in the right direction. The walk took several minutes but he found it. The Law Office was number 42. The buildings were made of cheery red bricks and each had a blue door and window frames. The Law Office had a small polished brass sign which read "Tchai and Co. Law Offices." Alex took a deep breath pushed open the door and entered.

The reception area had a polished wooden floor covered in a large green rug. There were seven seats around a small round table with a vase of orchids placed upon it. There was also a reception desk. The receptionist was typing something into her Apple Mac computer. She looked up at Alex who was still scanning the room.

"May I help you sir?" She chirped. Her aqua-marine blue eyes were fixed on him, her red hair was in a tight bun. "Sir?" she enquired once again.

Alex was jolted back to his senses. He glanced down at the name plate, the words 'Wendy Harp' looked back at him. "Um…" He paused, "I need to see Lawrence Tchai."

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

"Yes." He lied.

"What's your name, please?"

"Alex Rider." He answered.

"I'll just check. One moment sir." She smiled and then began to type. "Hmm, I'm afraid we have no-one of that name-"  
"Can you check again?" Alex interrupted.

"I'm sorry but no. If you want to make an appointment I can fit you in in a fortnight. What service do you require?"

"Could I use your bathroom? Now, I mean not in a fortnight." The fact that he was a child obviously helped. Miss Harp was not suspicious, she pointed him down a corridor just as her phone began to ring.

Alex had no intention of using the bathroom he was going to find Tchai's office and look for clues! He headed to the corridor and passed the toilets, he was soon confronted with an ornate maple door with a small plaque reading Lawrence Tchai. He wondered what he should do, barge straight in or knock? What should he do if Tchai was not alone? He couldn't exactly claim to be lost, every door around here had a bronze plaque stating the room's purpose. He decided to walk straight in. Thankfully the room was empty. A large window behind the desk let in the London sun, even though the day was grey and miserable the sun still lit the room well. One wall was covered in certificates listing Lawrence Tchai's many achievements and accomplishments. The other was lined with bookcases full of old, important looking books. He spotted a filling cabinet and walked towards it, suddenly extremely conscious of his loud footsteps on the polished wooden floor. He slowed his pace and tried to pull open a drawer. It was locked.

Luckily his watch was fitted with a handy gadget that could pick any lock. He opened the drawer. What was he looking for? No-one was dumb enough to have a folder called 'Why I committed arson against Alex Rider.' He slammed the drawer shut, perhaps Lawrence's emails would contain a clue. He dashed to the desk, fortunately the Apple Mac was still turned on.

_You've Got Mail! _Flashed on the screen, Alex opened it without thinking. The message read:

_Re: The Other Night_

_Lawrence,_

_It's a shame you had to miss the party but work always did come first with you._

_Emma will not be happy if she finds out you lost the watch she bought you, I recommend replacing it ASAP! Knowing you that's what you're doing right now, you're always on top of things._

_Anyway, __Ace Arnie is premiering on the 26th, you may have seen the adverts ;) . All our hard work is paying off, and that's just the beginning. We have another eight shows ready to go. The rewards will be great!_

_Robert_

_PS. I see the fire didn't go according to plan. When shall we begin Plan B?_

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AN - I hope you all like it. Lawrence will be properly introduced soon. Thanks to everyone for the reviews I'm really trying to work on my pacing. Please review to let me know what you  
think!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Plan B? Alex didn't have the time to find out what that was but he had a good idea that it meant another attack on Jack and himself. Jack was still in the hospital, unconscious and totally defenceless, what if that was where Lawrence Tchai was at this very moment? Alex could just picture Jack in her hospital bed with a man stood over her injecting a poison-filled syringe into her arm or holding a pillow over her or turning of her life support machine. The possibilities raced through his mind, Alex had to make sure Jack was safe. He crept silently out the room and along the corridor.

Wendy the receptionist was sat at her desk looking at the wrist of a tallish man in front of her.

"You can't tell the difference can you?" He asked her pointing towards his watch.

"Not at all sir. I don't see why you can't just tell Emma you lost the old one, she'd understand, I left my phone on the Tube last week."

This didn't seem to comfort the man. 'This must be Lawrence Tchai.' Alex thought. He was wearing a brown suit with blue pinstripes, a blue shirt and a brown tie. Wendy turned her attention to Alex who was trying to sneak out unnoticed, "You found the bathroom then?"

Alex nodded.

"This is Mr Tchai." She pointed to him, "This young man was looking for you."

Lawrence turned to look at Alex, "Really?" If Lawrence recognised Alex he hid it well. "And what would someone as young as you need a lawyer for?"

Alex thought fast, "Insurance…My insurance company won't pay out." He took a deep breath, "There was a fire at my house, accidental of course." Alex and Lawrence's eyes were fixed on each other, neither wanting to be the first to look away or blink.

"I suggest waiting a while, these things can take time." The lawyer kept his voice steady.

Alex nodded thinking of how to respond, thankfully he didn't need to. The front door opened and a man in a grey overcoat entered the reception. Lawrence Tchai took a deep breath, "Ah, Mr Hume, come straight through."

Alex took this as the time to leave and slipped through the open door. He rushed to the bus stop and was almost hit by a car as he dashed over the busy road.

He had fifteen minutes until his bus was due, he pulled some loose change from his pocket and headed to a phone box. He would call the hospital and check on Jack's condition then go straight to the hospital to see her properly.

The phonecall lasted ten minutes, Alex was reassured that no-one had been to see Jack but him. While he was comforted by this it also saddened him; Jack had been alone in hospital with no-one for company while he had been chasing dead ends.

Alex walked to the bus stop again bombarded with Laughing Targets advertisements, he kept his head down not noticing a black BMW parked just over the road.

Behind the car's tinted windows sat Robert Reid, next to him was a gun. He had his orders. He was Plan B!

* * *

The black car had followed the bus on it's journey back to the heart of London. Reid parked the car as Alex hopped off the bus. Alex was heading for the hospital, he decided on taking a shortcut through an alleyway. Reid smirked, this would be an easy job.

The alley was narrow and there was very little light, a rubbish bin had fallen over and its debris was scattered on the ground, like dead soldiers lying wounded amongst abandoned signs. Alex's footsteps were loud, Reid's were silent, as an assassin he had been taught how to be invisible. Alex idly kicked a can, the sound ricocheted off the walls. Reid reached for his gun and took aim at Alex's head.

The gun fired but missed. Alex had bent over to pick up a pound coin that was shining on floor. He gasped and leapt into action. He spotted the fallen bin and kicked it. It flew into Reid's stomach, he was knocked to the ground, he fired the gun wildly into the air. Alex grabbed an abandoned 'For Sale' sign as Reid struggled to his feet fumbling in his pockets for extra bullets.

"Who sent you?" Alex demanded, ready to lash out with the sign. Reid didn't answer, "Who are you?" Alex demanded again.

Reid smirked, his face unreadable as he reloaded his gun, Alex used the sign to knock it out of his hands. The gun skidded to Alex's feet. They both looked at it.

"Aren't you going to take it?" Reid asked his voice like silk, "It's loaded. Are you too scared?"

"Who are you?" Alex repeated.  
"Mr Rider, people are a lot more afraid of a loaded gun than a wooden sign. Goodbye." He turned to leave and began to walk away. Alex looked again at the gun but decided against it. As the adrenaline left his body he felt the heaviness of the sign, without thinking he lashed out. He heard a devastating crack as the wood met with Reid's skull. The sign clattered to the ground as blood began to seep from Reid's wound. Alex ran.

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AN - Sorry about the wait, I hope its worth it! Let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Alex ran as fast as he could, his feet lead him to the hospital and to Jack's bedside. But he was not alone, stood by the bed was a grey-suited man and a short woman with black silky hair.

"Ah, Alex." It was Alan Blunt, "We were worried about you. You haven't been at school for-"

The women interrupted, "I'm sure he's just been worried about Miss Starbright" The women had a light Scottish accent and a cheerful smile.

"Perhaps, but education is vital Winifred."

Alex's eyes darted between the two of them and then down to Jack who was still lying peacefully in her bed. The room was now silent except for machine's continuous conversations; the beeps of Jack's life support, the hum of the air-conditioner and buzz of the lights. Alan and the stranger called Winifred looked at Alex.

"Alex, MI6 has arranged a place for you to stay while your house is being rebuilt. Miss Morgan will take care of you for the time being." He gestured to the woman standing on his right. Alex nodded. "Are you ready to see your new home?"

Alex nodded again and after saying a quick goodbye to Jack the three of them were sat in the Rolls Royce on their way to the house. Winifred explained in the car that it was actually a hotel suite, she talked a lot but Alex didn't really listen. He bit his nails anxiously and looked out of the window. He thought of the mysterious man he'd left in unconscious in the alley and worried about what would happen. If the man was alive he may try to hurt Jack as revenge or hunt down Alex again and if the man was dead…Alex pushed the thoughts out of his mind and turned his attention to view outside the car window. The sun was setting and twilight was beginning.

The car pulled up outside Beaufort House located in a quiet cul-de-sac in Knightsbridge. MI6 had arranged a two bedroomed apartment for them for the foreseeable future; Mr. Blunt had left after giving Alex a quick tour.

Alex and Winifred Morgan were sat at the kitchen table; an awkward silence had fallen over them. Winifred stirred her tea silently and Alex stared down at a plate of biscuits. The silence was unbearable for Winifred who was known as quite a chatterbox to her friends.

"I'm not going to try and replace Jack." Winifred ventured quietly, the room fell silent again. "I'm just-" She broke off again and looked to Alex, "Why don't I tell you about myself?"

Alex nodded.

"Well. I'm Winifred Morgan; you can call me Fred, although I did get called Winnie at school. You know? Winnie the Pooh?" There was silence. "I've worked with MI6 for five years, I studied Anthropology at Cambridge…I have a cat called Stuart…um…I play the clarinet…" Fred fumbled for topics, hoping that one would spark some conversation from the boy, "I, er, like to bake."

"Jack would only cook things that took less than ten minutes." Alex said fondly, "I'm sorry. Could I just go to my room for a while?"

Fred nodded and Alex exited. His room was quite bare, it had plain white walls and a blue plush carpet, the navy curtains had been pulled shut but he could still hear the noise of the city traffic. He turned on the lamp and sat on his bed. He had made absolutely no progress in discovering why Lawrence Tchai had burnt down their house and why a strange man had attacked him in an alley way. He flicked the television on, hoping to find something to distract him. All he could find was a gardening show, two cookery programmes, a sad looking soap opera and a chat show. He settled for the chat show.

"Please give a warm welcome for the producer of the next big thing, Miss Emma Dale!" The host yelled as the audience cheered and applauded, sat on the couch was a young woman with blonde hair that hung in loose curls. She had a broad smile and twinkling green eyes, the women looked humble as the show's host lauded her with praise. She ran Laughing Target a company that made children's TV shows; Alex remembered the bright advertisements he'd seen all over the city as a clip from _Ace Arnie_ played. The show was a cartoon about a space man who travelled around different planets solving mysteries. Alex felt himself fill with a strange desire to watch as much of the cartoon as he could, he felt anger bubble up as the clip ended and the host's smiling face reappeared.

The feelings vanished as the chat show continued but Alex couldn't help feeling as though he was missing something. He shut off the TV and rubbed his forehead.

"Think Alex!" He whispered, "Come on…Think!" He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, he couldn't remember the last time he felt so frustrated. How long had he been lying there? Hours or minutes? He pulled Lawrence's watch from his pocket it was 9:30. The watch! He turned it over and there it was staring straight back at him:

'_Lawrence Tchai_

_Love you always_

_Emma Dale'_

But what did a woman who made children's shows have to do with this? Alex felt as though he was doing a jigsaw puzzle and had some pieces but didn't know what the picture was supposed to be. He vowed to find out, he knew it would be tough but he would find out why Laughing Target was targeting him!


End file.
